The Minos EP came out this week on the Meant label and comes from French duo Remote, who are Eric Guillanton and Seb Fouble. This release quickly won my attention with its deep techno influenced sound that crunches together tight drum beats, dirty digital bass lines and a ravey atmosphere.
Remote have been active for more than a decade and have had releases on Kill the DJ, Zone and Foundation alongside Meant and it's clear their music would sit in the heartland of those labels. This is lovingly crafted analogue dance music.
Where "Minos" has the incessant sweatbox atmosphere described above, a distinctive Weatherall vibe, the remix from My Favorite Robot regular Fairmont is slower and more dense. It's an unsettling twisted and cinematic trip through ambient landscapes.
"Easy" is similarly analogue but less Weatherall, more Rework. It's a cyclical beast with hard edges and lots and lots of reverb, less upfront than the EP's title track but all the cooler for it. Headman provides the remix of this second track, turning it into a swirling acid track with Headman's trademark rock-song type feel. There are arpeggiated synths and melodies that slide beneath themselves, a taught bass guitar riff tying it all together.
All in all a smart, focused and tightly executed release.
Minos is out now on Meant. Available on MP3 from Amazon.co.uk [affiliate link]. Listen to "Minos" through Soundcloud below: